Examination Requirements for School Building Leader (SBL) Certification

From Deputy Commissioner John D'Agati, Office of Higher Education

As we continue moving toward the implementation of our new teacher and school building leader certification requirements, I would like to provide you with an update regarding the requirements for School Building Leader (SBL) certification.

As part of the Regents Reform Agenda, New York State will be requiring candidates seeking initial school building leader certification to submit evidence of having achieved a satisfactory level of performance on the Educating All Students (EAS) test and an updated School Building Leader (SBL) assessment. Each of these assessments has been aligned to reflect increased rigor and the Common Core Learning Standards. For additional information regarding the new assessments, please see www.nystce.nesinc.com/NY_annProgramUpdate.asp.

Candidates who apply for the initial SBL certificate on or after May 1, 2014—including candidates who will graduate from an approved SBL preparation program on or after May 1, 2014, or candidates who apply for certification on or before April 30, 2014, but do not meet all of the requirements for an initial certificate prior to May 1, 2014— will be required to take and pass both the EAS test and the revised SBL assessment.

I​f you have a question concerning teacher certification or which tests to take to become certified, please send an email to TCERT@nysed.gov.

If you have a question concerning how the teacher certification tests are developed, please send an email to emscassessinfo@nysed.gov.